Handsworth Dental Care

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 2 May 2023 under section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions.

We planned the inspection to check whether the registered practice was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations.

The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector who was supported by a specialist dental advisor.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following 5 questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

• The dental clinic appeared clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which mostly reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.
• Improvements could be made to ensure legionella management is aligned to the risk assessment recommendations.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect. Staff took care to protect patients’ privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• Improvements could be made to ensure external referrals are centrally monitored to ensure they are received in a timely manner and not lost
• The appointment system worked efficiently to respond to patients’ needs.
• The frequency of appointments was agreed between the dentist and the patient, giving due regard to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement; systems to ensure audits were effective could be improved.
• Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The practice had information governance arrangements.

Background

Handsworth Dental Care is in Sheffield and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

Access into the practice is via a single step; wheelchair users and patients with pushchairs can be assisted into the practice if needed. Patients who may struggle to access the practice are referred to the sister practice nearby. Car parking spaces are available to the rear of the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 4 dentists, 1 foundation training dentist, 6 qualified dental nurses and 2 trainee dental nurses, 2 dental therapists, 1 practice manager and 2 receptionists. The practice has 6 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 3 dentists, 6 dental nurses, 1 dental therapist, 2 receptionists and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Thursday 8am – 5pm and Friday 8am – 1pm.

The practice had taken steps to improve environmental sustainability. For example, taking steps to reduce paper use and energy consumption.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and having regard to The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’.
• Take action to implement any recommendations in the practice's Legionella risk assessment, taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices, and having regard to The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.’ In particular, flushing of dead legs.
• Implement a system to ensure patient referrals to other dental or health care professionals are centrally monitored to ensure they are received in a timely manner and not lost.
• Take action to ensure audits of radiography, record keeping, and antimicrobial prescribing are undertaken in line with current guidance to improve the quality of the service. The practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.